Soap
by JadziaCee
Summary: One-shot, mature content, Joel & Tess find a pleasant surprise in Bill's latest shipment.


**A/N** – I am in love with "The Last of Us", Joel, Tess and Ellie. I just finished playing the game 3 days ago and I've started another playthrough. I can't get enough. Even though it's ambiguous in the game, I believe Joel and Tess were a couple. Maybe not romantically, but I think there was some bangin' going on. And I loved Tess so much… *spoiler*… I was so sad when we lost her way too early.

This story is dedicated to MissAlisterCroft. We've been talking about TLoU recently and she inspired me to write this as we shared different prompts and ideas. I haven't written a fan fic in 2 years, so this is huge for me to come out of hiding after so long of not writing. But this one came easily. With such great characters provided by Naughty Dog, we have a plethora of material to work with.

**Warning** – this is mature content. It is a one-shot and meant to be a total lemon, but I couldn't help but add a little plot and character stuff in there. I mean, after all, that's the reason why we love Joel so much. The man is tortured and broken and we hardly know anything about this past. So I had to use that a little bit. I tried to keep Joel and Tess in character and I really like the way this turned out.

Also, if feedback is good on this, I may delve into my next idea.. which is Joel and Ellie romantically involved. (years in the future mind you.. I know better than to pair a 14 year old girl with a middle aged man.. even I understand the ick factor behind that.)

MissAlisterCroft went there first and I applaud her courageousness, so I may have to take the next step.

Okay. Read and review and I hope you all enjoy!

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Running over the uneven ground, Joel's boots pounded loudly, matching the quick thudding of his heart in his chest. Sarah's tiny, limp body hung in his arms, and he could hardly see where he was going in the dark of the night. Joel could hear the low, gutteral moans and groans of the infected behind him, so he focused on moving forward toward the highway, knowing that Tommy would be along soon.

Seeing a light up ahead, Joel pressed on, when suddenly a soldier stepped in front of him, aiming his rifle at Joel's head. "Stop right there!" the soldier hollered to him.

"We're not infected. I swear," said Joel. "Please just let us get to the highway."

"Don't move," ordered the soldier, as he radioed in to his CO. "Sir, I have two civilians at the city limits." There was a pause and Joel took the opportunity to plead his case. "Please, I think her leg's broken. Just let us get to a hospital."

The solider held up his rifle again, and spoke into his radio. "But Sir, there's a little girl." Another pause. "Yes Sir,"

Joel waited, hesitantly, when all of a sudden…. BLAM!

With a jolt and a loud gasp, Joel sat straight up in bed. His heart still racing, his shirt and the back of his hairline soaked with sweat. Running one hand through his hair and the other across his beard, Joel exhaled deeply. "It was just a dream… just a dream," he muttered to himself. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Joel leaned over and held his head in his hands. The nightmare had been the same, at least weekly, for the past 20 years since the outbreak. Joel had relived Sarah's death over and over again, always wondering what he could have done differently to save her.

"Hey Joel," called out Tess, as she entered the room. "Just got back from picking up our shipment from Bill." She tossed her pack on the bed and began to rummage through it. "Wait until you see what we got this time."

Joel sighed heavily and looked over at Tess. The 32 year old wasn't what you would call a conventional beauty, but she had both brains and brawn and could look after herself. And in today's society, those were very attractive traits in a woman. Joel and Tess weren't a couple in the traditional sense of the word. They had forged a business partnership 10 years ago, smuggling and hussling whatever blackmarket goods they could get their hands on, and over the years had learned to lean on each other. With trust being so very difficult to earn nowadays, the two of them had stuck it out through thick and thin, and depended on each other not just for income, resources and protection, but also for times when human physical desires trumped all other needs.

Tess looked over at Joel and noticed he was white as a ghost. "Geezuz Texas, are you okay?" She reached out the back of her hand and placed it on his forehead, "You're not sick are you?" she asked.

"Don't!" Joel snapped and brushed her hand away, and then took a deep breath, calmed himself and said more softly, "Just… don't."

Tess put her hands on her hips and cocked her head at him. "Oh, another one of your ah…" she trailed off.

"Yes," Joel answered.

Tess knew all about Joel's nightmares and what happened to his daughter Sarah. It had all come out one night after one of their more difficult runs. Tess had sustained a fairly serious injury, Joel had gone all "protector" on her and Bill's shipment had turned up a rare bottle of Glenfiddich whisky. The combination had led to a night of heavy drinking and Joel baring his soul to Tess. It was the first and last time he ever talked about it, but since then when Tess noticed Joel was quieter than usual, she could always bet he had been thinking or dreaming about Sarah.

Ignoring the subject and knowing Joel wasn't going to talk about it anyway, Tess went back to digging through her bag until her hands wrapped around the two objects she was looking for. She pulled them out and held them behind her back out of Joel's view.

"So, guess what goodies Bill scrounged up for us!" Tess exclaimed, sounding a little bit like a giddy school girl.

"Tess," sighed Joel wearily. "I really don't want to play your little games." He looked and felt every one of his 48 years, and sometimes didn't have the patience to deal with Tess's rare youthful side.

"Oh come on, you're going to love it!" she said, and then held her hands out in front of Joel so he could see what she was so excited about. In one hand she held a small, green bar of soap and in the other a tube of toothpaste.

"Well, where in the hell did Bill ever come up with that?" Joel asked, as his attention perked up at the items in Tess's hands.

"I don't know," said Tess, "Must have come across a pharmacy that hadn't been looted yet." She dropped the bar of soap into Joel's hand and then sashayed across the room to the doorway. "And…. if I remember correctly, today is our scheduled monthly one hour allotment of running water." Tess pulled the blue bandanna out of her hair, made a come hither motion with her finger and then backed out of the room.

Joel watched her lithe figure head down the hallway to the bathroom, as he raised the bar of soap to his nose. He inhaled deeply, the sharp, piney-vanilla scent invading his senses. "Irish Spring…" Joel chuckled to himself. It brought back memories of a simpler time. Of coming home from a long, hard day of construction work and hopping in the shower, and scrubbing down with that little green bar. Every day he came home from work, Sarah would tell him he "stunk", and would refuse to hug him until he got in the shower and cleaned up. But cuddling with her afterward was the best reward and she loved that fresh, soapy smell.

Feeling tears beginning to well up in his eyes, Joel cleared his throat and shook his head. Refusing to get bogged down in memories from so long ago, he swiped his hand over his face and stood up. He made his way to the bathroom and found Tess standing over the sink practically gagging herself with a mouthful of toothbrush and toothpaste. White foam covered her lips and she looked like she was in ecstasy.

"Oh my God, Joel! She exclaimed. "It tastes so good… minty and fresh and… just so clean!" Necessities were so hard to come by, that personal hygiene, including showering and brushing your teeth, were activities that people didn't get to partake in very often.

Joel placed the bar of soap down by the side of the sink and picked up his own toothbrush, squeezed a big white slug of paste from the tube, ran some water over it and stuck it in his mouth. Immediately every tastebud on his tongue began to tingle. "Wow… you're right!" he mumbled around the brush in his mouth as he scrubbed the bristles over his teeth.

Tess spit out the toothpaste in her mouth and finished with a rinse of water. She wiped her face off with a nearby towel and grinned at Joel. "That was almost better than a 3- course meal," she exclaimed.

"I wouldn't go that far," said Joel, pausing his brushing for a minute. He was fully aware of how empty his belly felt and how few and far in between their meals were.

"Of course, nothing's better than sex," rasped Tess, her voice turning low and husky. She began to undo the buttons on her shirt and slid it off her arms and onto the floor. Her pants quickly followed. She grabbed the bar of soap and then stepped into the shower, turning briefly to look over at Joel. "You joinin' me Texas?" she asked with a slight grin on her face.

Joel spat out the rest of the toothpaste and rinsed his mouth. He looked at Tess, just as she turned her back to him and turned on the water. Her pale ass was round and luscious, a stark contrast to her slim form. She was so thin that her ribs could be seen through her skin.

"Ohhh!" Tess shouted as a slight trickle of water squirted from the showerhead and then followed with a gushing stream. She jumped backwards from the coldness of the spray of water and her breasts jiggled from the movement. Joel felt a stirring in his groin as he took in her nude figure. His heart pounded faster and his blood rushed to his lower extremities. It had been a while… a very…. long….. while.

In two large bounds, Joel crossed the bathroom floor and wasted no time in taking his own clothes off and stepping in the shower behind her. Tess turned to face him, and as the first drops of water landed on his skin, Joel let out a moan of desire. Despite the water being so cold, it was such a simple pleasure they rarely got to enjoy.

"Well hello there big guy," said Tess. Joel looked down at her, all 6 feet of him towering over her. Her skin was pale, but dirty and bruised in some places, cut and scraped in others. Joel reached out and stroked her shoulder, tracing his finger along her collarbone, which jutted out so severely from her skin. His hand followed the shower water beading down her side, stopping to gently press against the indentations her ribs made against her flesh.

"God Tess, you have got to eat more," said Joel.

"Stop it," said Tess softly. "This is not the time or place for that," and she punctuated her message by quickly moving her hand to touch Joel's abs. She traced the thin line of dark hair below his navel down to his erection which already bobbed against his belly, twitching with every caress from her hands. A bead of pre-cum glistened on the tip and when Joel saw Tess's light pink tongue dart out of her mouth he had to prepare himself for what was coming next.

"Christ!" Joel groaned, as Tess gently licked the head of his penis. Joel closed his eyes and threw his head back as Tess lathered up the soap in her hands and wrapped her fingers around him, beginning to gently stroke the thickening organ. The spicy scent of Irish Spring rose up between them as Tess continued to rub him, her movements gradually quickening. Joel could feel her fingers tighten around his erection and his breathing grew more rapid.

"Nope, not happenin' like that," Joel grunted, his breath coming in shallow pants. He reached down and removed Tess's hands from his penis. She dropped the soap, while Joel gripped both her wrists in one of his hands and he pulled her arms up over her head. Tess let out a gasp at Joel's sudden movement but was immediately silenced when he crushed his mouth against hers. Plunging his tongue into her mouth, Joel eagerly and hungrily latched onto her tongue…probing… sucking and kissing. The minty taste of toothpaste lingered with their kisses. Joel's free hand grasped one of Tess's breasts, squeezing it roughly and Tess let out a little mewl of pain, as Joel continued to ravage her mouth. His beard whiskers scratched against her soft skin and his fingers took a hold of her nipple, pinching and pulling it into a hard peak.

Tess could feel herself becoming very turned on from Joel's roughness. He was never what you would call a tender lover, and the moments they did turn to one another for sexual release, were usually in some fit of reckless abandon after a life or death situation from which they had barely escaped. She launched back at him with a demanding tongue of her own and began to nip at his lips with her teeth.

"Hey!" exclaimed Joel in surprise as he pulled his mouth from hers. He licked his lower lip and tasted the strong coppery tang of blood. He brought his hand up and wiped his mouth and sure enough, a few drops of blood appeared on his fingertips.

Tess just gave out a loud snort and pressed her hips to Joel's, giving a hard rub against his rock hard cock. "Just be glad that's the only thing I'm biting," she replied, as she struggled against Joel's grasp, that still held her arms up high over her head, leaving her pinned against the shower wall.

Joel growled, deep and low in his throat, his temperature rising despite the coldness of the water that continued to pound down upon their bodies. His free hand moved from her breast down to between Tess's legs. Parting them with his knee, Tess's body responded by opening up wide for him. Joel answered by plunging two of his fingers deep inside her. Tess gasped and closed her eyes, rocking her head back against the cold tiled wall. She was wet with arousal as Joel probed her with his fingers. But when he began using his thumb to rub her clit, Tess almost lost it, letting out constant cries and pants, hardly able to catch her breath.

Joel drove her to the edge with his fingers for a few more moments and then pulled them out of her, only to quickly replace them with his cock, driving into Tess in one forceful movement. Joel's loud groan as he felt her tight, dripping wet pussy surround him, matched Tess's own moan of pleasure as he plunged into her. Releasing her wrists from his grasp, Joel brought his hands down to grasp Tess's buttock, as she wrapped her legs tight around Joel's hips and he hoisted her up onto him. He pressed her back against the shower wall, using it as leverage.

Tess whimpered and wrapped her now free hands around Joel's neck, gripping tightly to his strong back and shoulder muscles. Her head dipped against his shoulder as he pounded into her, her back and hips slipping against the wet tile. Her ankles crossed behind Joel's back, holding on carefully.

Joel's fingers dug into her ass, clutching each cheek in one of his hands. Tess clung so tightly to him, as he continued to drive his cock inside her, stroke after stroke. Each of them feeling their climax continue to rise. The water from the shower pouring down on their skin, only added to the intensity of the moment, their hair wet and dripping in their eyes, the cold droplets an intense contrast to the heat that was steaming off their bodies.

And then, when Tess began to contract and convulse around him, Joel lost all abandon. He slammed his cock into her with one last grunt, her back and hips aching against the shower wall. He felt like all tension, anxiety, stress, hunger, sadness and depression of the past 10 years was drilled out of him in full release. Joel let out a loud howl, sounding more animal than man. Tess joined in with a wail of her own, as waves of climax rippled through her body and she felt herself shudder and jerk against Joel's erection. Joel's legs shook as one last spasm racked his body and he dropped to his knees, while Tess released her legs from around his waist. She pulled herself gently off his still pulsing cock, moving to kneel down beside him, and just at the moment the water sputtered to a stop above them.

"Looks like you have perfect timing," Tess said, her words coming out in a pant as her heart still beat rapidly from all the excitement.

Joel grinned. "That's what all the women tell me," he said in jest. Tess smiled back and picked up the bar of soap from the floor. "I'll just keep this somewhere safe until next month," she said.

Joel chuckled and he knew the scent of Irish Spring would now bring him much different memories than before. Just one more step along the way to slowly moving forward from a life left behind a long time ago.

* * *

**A/N** – I'm a bit of a hygiene freak myself, so I can't even imagine what they had to deal with on a daily basis, living in the conditions they did. I always imagine Joel and Tess in some kind of partnership/friends with benefits relationship like I describe in my story, but it kind of grosses me out to think of having sex when they both look so slovenly and dirty. So I just decided to add a bar of soap and see what happened!


End file.
